Green Score
This environmental & ethical ranking of the University is provided courtesy of the People & Planet Green League - the only comprehensive and independent green ranking of every UK university. Choosing a greener university can reduce your carbon footprint and improve your job prospects in a global low-carbon economy.

History

Opened by Queen Victoria in 1886, Royal Holloway was founded by Thomas Holloway, a Victorian entrepreneur and visionary.

We became part of the University of London in 1900 and later merged with Bedford College, another pioneering women's college founded in 1849 as the first college in Great Britain for the higher education of women.

Our beautiful campus is centred around our Founder's Building, one of the most spectacular university buildings in the world.

Our Music Department was awarded a prestigious Regius Professorship by the Queen to mark her Diamond Jubilee. Until now, only two had been created in the last century.

Location and Transport

University life is centred around our leafy parkland campus in Surrey. We also benefit from a central London base at Bedford Square in Bloomsbury.

We are just 40 minutes by train from central London and 7 miles from Heathrow Airport.

We have good transport links, with the M25, M4 and M3 all just a few miles away. We also operate a college bus servic, covering local areas and railway station.

Teaching Standards

High levels of student satisfaction reported via the National Student Survey (ranked equal fifth in the first NSS survey).

Royal Holloway has achieved another year-on-year improvement in the National Student Survey (NSS), with an overall satisfaction rating in the most recent survey in 2013 at 89%. Six of our departments are ranked in the top 10 nationally, placing us in the top quartile for universities in the UK.

Teaching quality and standards were strongly commended by the QAA in the most recent institutional audit (spring 2011).

Research Standards

Royal Holloway University sits within the top 25% of universities in the UK for research, with 81% rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014).

Ranked 102 worldwide, 36 in Europe, 12 in the UK (the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2013–14).

In the last RAE, we ranked 16th in the UK for proportion of research in the top 4* category, indicating world-leading research and of the highest standards in terms of originality, significance and rigour.

Our Department of Geography is ranked the top Geography department in England (REF 2014).

Earth Sciences, Psychology, Mathematics and Music are within the top five departments for their subject in the UK (REF 2014).

Media Arts, Drama and the School of Modern Languages Literatures and Cultures are all ranked within the top 10 departments for their subject in the UK (REF 2014).

Academic Strengths

We have 19 departments spanning the arts and humanities, sciences, social sciences, management, economics and law.

We have an international reputation for research and are ranked no.1 in the UK for international outlook (Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2014).

We pride ourselves on our excellent teaching and our students are taught by world-leading academics.

Our safe and leafy campus in beautiful Surrey is home to a thriving, friendly community and offers a best-of-both-worlds location.

Student Facilities

We have two libraries on campus all with modern facilities, including our beautiful Victorian Founder's library. They offer 846 workspaces between them, encompassing a range of study spaces. You will also have access to the University of London library at Senate House.

We have free wifi access across campus.

Our IT experts are available to offer advice over the phone, by email, online chat and in person.

We have several hundred open-access pcs available for students in libraries and the computer centre.

The SU building is home to our award-winning student magazine, radio station and TV channel in recently refurbished studios.

Our thriving Community Action Volunteering programme involves over 1,000 student volunteers working with various organisations in the local area – with hundreds of opportunities available from animal rescue to youth work.

Recent/Prospective New Builds

Major extension to the School Of Management teaching space, to accommodate expanding programmes.

Refurbishment of laboratories for Biological Sciences, and The Hub, new student dining facilities and new and refurbished halls of residence

£2 million invested in library resources, implementing the latest technology and introducing innovative learning spaces to encourage collaborative and group learning, and increasing silent study spaces.

Boilerhouse project – adding a 250 seat lecture theatre to our academic buildings, it is multi-purpose, enabling students to use the restored space for performance and plays.

New state-of-the-art purpose-built studio, the Caryl Churchill theatre, for the Department of Drama & Theatre

A remarkable new building that will provide a natural focal point for student life – as well as a library open 24/7, the building will be home to an array of student services including our Careers and Employability Service, social spaces, a café and shop.

Availability of Part-Time Work

Lots of local opportunities – Royal Holloway is surrounded by over 50,000 businesses comprising 300 of the world’s premier multi-national blue chip companies.

Work availability on campus with a wide range of roles and working patterns.

Students have access to part-time and vacation work opportunities locally and in London via our popular online jobs board ‘JobOnline’ and our bi-annual Part-time Jobs Fair

Royal Holloway performs consistently well for graduate employability, with an active careers programme based on extensive employer networking and access to the largest careers service in Europe, The Careers Group, University of London.

Our graduates go on to succeed in many fields – we have earned a reputation as a place where capable, thoughtful and creative leaders blossom.

Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs – a highly popular initiative run by students with College backing (Patron Sir Alex Reed CBE), runs weekly events relevant to the workplace – there have been numerous successful business start-ups and awards in regional and national business competitions.

Careers Guidance

Our students are supported by The Careers Group, the largest careers service in Europe.

Many of our courses offer work placements as part of their programmes.

We provide regular careers fairs, talks and workshops to help students prepare for their future careers.

Our extensive range of extra-curricular activities, including volunteering, societies, sports teams, part-time jobs and internships, enable our students to develop the skills they need to succeed in the work-place.

Notable Alumni

Susan Bullock and Dame Felicity Lott – International Opera Singers.

Elliot Gleave – the rapper known as Example.

Joby Talbot – concert, ballet and film composer.

KT Tunstall – singer songwriter.

Professor David Bellamy – botanist and environmental activist.

Baroness Cathy Ashton – EU Foreign Minister.

Anna Hemmings – six times world champion marathon canoeist and Olympian.